Improvement in flat-iron heaters



R. M. MERRILL.

FLAT IRON HEATER.

)Win @uw N.PETERS, PHQTO-UTHOGRAPHEH', WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

RUFUS M. MERRILL, OF GLEWOOD, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FLAT-IRON HEATERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent blo-171,945, dated January 11, 1876; application filed October 30, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUFUs M. MERRILL, of Englewood, in the county of Cook and State ot Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sad-Iron Heaters 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the construction and operation thereof, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of .reference thereon, making a part of this specitication, in which- Figure l represents the top of the heater, with a portion removed so as to exhibit the arrangement of 'the internal parts. Fig. 2 is a sectional view, Fig. 3 an end view, and Fig. 4 a front view, ofthe heater.

The object of my invention is to produce a sad-iron heater in which the action of insert ing the sad-iron therein and withdrawing' the same therefrom will closeand open the door of the heater automatically, thereby preventing waste ot' heat while the iron is being heated, Vand also assuring great saving in fuel and labor.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct lny invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A is a hollow rectangular case or heater, inclosed on all its sides, and having a ila-nge or rim, a', extending around it, so as to support the heater over the ire-box oi' an ordinary cooking-stove, that part of the heater which is below the flange being formed so as to'tit into the openings of the top of the stove. The front part above the dange is provided with the door a, which is hinged to the heater, as shown at h, for the purpose of admitting a sad-iron to be placed therein. B is a slot,

which extends from the front edge ot' the top plate of the heater back a suicient distance to allow the sad-iron to be inserted in the same with the handle projecting through the of the top plate of the heater, and extendsV therefrom diagonally across the slot B, and terminates with an eye, c, through which one end of the rod D is bent, so as to form a hinge. The other end ofthe rod is hinged to the door a, as shown, at a point-near the hinge h, there by connecting the` door with the.lever C in such a manner that, when a sad-iron is placed in the heater, the handle of the iron presses or pushes against the lever, and by the action thereof through the rod D closes the door automatically. The 'action of withdrawing the sadiron from the heater opens the door a, ready for the admission of another iron to be heated. T l

, Any number of these receptacles may be combined and used as one utensil, according to the size ot' the stove-opening and number of irons required to be heated at o'ne time. The drawing, Fig. l, represents the combination for three irons.

I do not claim a hollow case provided with slots and having a door, and used for the purpose of heating smoothing-irons; but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, in a sad-iron heater, of the lever C, the connecting-rod D, and door a, `arranged and operating substantially as specified.

2. The slotted case A and parts C and D, in combinationwith the door a Aand hinge 7L, all constructed and arranged asand for the purpose specified.

Y RUFUS M. MERRILL.

Witnesses:

R. H. CRANE, JAMES HEALY. 

